On June 13, 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case of Miranda v. Arizona, establishing that criminal suspects must be informed of their specific legal rights when they are placed under arrest.

This decision was based on a 1963 case in which a defendant, Ernesto Miranda, was accused of abducting and driving an 18 year old Phoenix woman to a desert and sexually assaulting her. Tracking of the license plate number of a car that resembled that of her attacker’s brought police to Miranda, who had a prior record as a peeping tom. Miranda was taken into police custody and interrogated for the the crimes. During the interrogation, Miranda confessed to committing the crimes.

In 1965, Miranda was tried and convicted on the basis of his confession while being interrogated by police. While serving his sentence in an Arizona state prison, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) took up his appeal based on his confession being false and coerced by police during his interrogation, leading to the 1966 U.S. Supreme Court overturning his case in a 5-4 landmark decision.

Miranda was retried and convicted in October 1966, despite lack of evidence. Remaining in prison until 1972, Ernesto Miranda was later stabbed to death in the men’s room of a bar after a poker game in January 1976.

As a result of the case against Miranda, each and every person must now be informed of his or her 'Miranda Rights' when arrested.

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